Elicitation and use of patients' preferences in the treatment of psoriasis: a systematic review.

There is a growing advocacy to incorporate patients' preferences in psoriasis treatment. The aim of this study was to critically review the scientific evidence regarding the elicitation and use of patients' preferences in psoriasis treatment. Published studies were systematically identified through PubMed, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Knowledge, and PsychINFO. Additional studies were identified by reviewing the reference lists of retrieved articles and through contact with experts in the field. Included studies involved the elicitation or use of patient preferences related to the treatment of psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Twenty-three studies were included in the review. The earliest articles were published in the 1980s. Patients' preferences were elicited for psoriasis treatment options, treatment attributes and for health state characteristics. Preferences were elicited from both patients and physicians. No study examined the use of patients' preferences in psoriasis treatment decision-making. The evidence demonstrates that patients' preferences relevant to psoriasis treatment are present and measurable. How-ever, the potential use of those preferences has largely been ignored.